A Strange Tail
by Fuji.Lynx.of.Quinn
Summary: Romaine "Roman" Herbal is a young colt from a small farm community called Hooftown. His life was completely average and simplistic until a sudden wrong turn - or quite a few, really - led him into an apprenticeship that he was not expecting. Suddenly, new opportunities and adventures are flooding his life - making it a strange tale to tell.
1. Prologue: Hello

**Prologue: Hello**

 **Chapter Illustration: ht*tp:/*/** ***bethymarie.*deviantart.*com/art/AST*-Hello-*630928110**

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Hello.  
My name is Roman. I am an earth pony, getting along in my years. I'm not old enough to be an elder quite yet, but I know the time is coming for me to begin taking my age into consideration. The older I get, the more I find myself looking back on my life and contemplating all that has happened to me. That was when I realized that I wanted to share my story - and the stories of those that I had met - with others. I wanted to write my memoirs, I suppose.  
For you see, I did not have a particularly normal life nor were the others in my life normal. I went through trials, sacrifice, and war. I saw sad endings and happy endings. I saw life. I saw death.  
But my story starts far before any of that. I was nine - a colt living in a small, country place called Hooftown stuck in between Neighagra Falls and Manehatten right at the foot of the mountains. It was a small place, but a quaint one. It was all that I had ever known.  
My family ran the local herbal and tea shop. We were rather large. I was foal number six and still had two younger siblings (twin sisters). Out of the eight of us, I was the only colt. I never felt that I suffered being among my sisters, though, nor my rather eccentric mother. We were a close family, if a rather large and loud one, and we were all loved very much.  
I will begin my story in this little place called Hooftown - for it is there, not long after turning nine, where my normal, country-pony life turned into something much greater - and stranger - than anypony could have possibly predicted.

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Salutations and greetings. Welcome to _A Strange Tail_ , written and illustrated by a mix of Al'Hope and BethyMarie. We hope that you enjoy the story as much as Bethy and I, Al'Hope, have had writing it. We will have irregular updates, but we promise to finished the story. Each chapter will be accompanied by an illustration!

Note: Follow the URL to see the illustration! And don't forget to remove the asterisks.


	2. One: Mondays

**One: Mondays**

 **Chapter Illustration:** **ht*tp:/*/*bethymarie.*deviantart.*** **com/art/*Mondays-*640916531**

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" _Hurry_ , Roman! We're going to be late!"  
"I'm coming, Lily," Roman called, trotting to catch up to his eccentric child-hood friend. The two of them were on their way to school, and Gilded Lily always liked to get there a little earlier than anyone else. The main reason being their teacher, Starshot.  
Starshot had come to Hooftown around ten years ago - twenty-two years old and fresh from Canterlot. He wasn't too widely accepted at first since Hooftown was rather secluded, and Starshot was... different.  
"I wonder if Starshot will notice that I have a bow in today versus a normal tie," Lily rambled, trotting backwards in front of Roman. "I think it adds a nice touch!"  
Roman nodded, knowing that his answer wouldn't be heard anyways. Lily was a brazen, out-spoken filly who was a year older than Roman, making her nine. They had known each other since Roman had been born. The Herbal and Jewel family were very close friends, so it wasn't a surprise that they were practically glued at the hip - intentionally or not.  
The two foals crested the last hill and looked down at their small schoolhouse. Starshot stood at the door greeting the parents and his students as he always did. Their teacher spotted them and smiled, waving a hoof to recognize their presence before turning to talk with an approaching pupil.  
Lily bolted down the hill with Roman plodding along behind her, encouraged by the wave. Roman gave a small smile at his friend's enthusiasm. He sometimes wondered how she was able to be energetic every morning at the simple prospect of seeing their teacher. He had asked her once, only to receive a lecture on the power of love. Of course, he didn't think there was much basis to it, but then again, they hadn't really covered it in school.  
"Good morning, Lily, Roman," Starshot greeted, walking a few steps to meet them. Both Roman and Lily had to tilt their heads back to look up at their tall teacher.  
Starshot's height was one of the main differences between him and most of the residents of Hooftown - if not all of Equestria. Some had said he was even taller than Queen Celestia. He towered over everyone, and he said it was his horse and alicorn lineage. He wasn't really a true pony – his mother had been a full pony, but even then, a large one.  
"Hello, Mr. Starshot!" Lily stood a little taller and tilted her head to the side. Roman watched the display and thought of the animals in spring - constantly trying to get attention from the other gender.  
"G'morning, Mr. Starshot," Roman greeted.  
"You two are a little late today. You're usually the first ones I greet, but Symphony and Toy Tinker are already here!"  
"Roman was being slow this morning," Lily commented. Starshot smiled at Roman. Roman just shrugged. Starshot had a special place in his heart for the young colt. He, against all odds, had remained firm friends with Lily. Something that no other colt or filly had managed. Childhood friends or not - that was an accomplishment.  
"Oh, really? Are you feeling well this morning, Roman?" Starshot asked. Roman tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said,  
"I feel normal."  
"That's good. I'm glad you're not feeling ill." Roman nodded again.  
"Mr. Starshot!" Lily trotted around their teacher, bringing the attention back to her. She was tossing her head almost ridiculously. "I've been feeling fantastic this morning! I'm always excited to come to school!"  
"I'm glad," Starshot replied, his eyes alight with amusement. "And is that a bow I see? That's a bit different."  
Roman continued into the classroom as Lily began to go on about how it was so nice that Starshot had noticed. Symphony greeted him with a small smile which he returned, and Toy, who sat in front of him, was busy trying to find his homework in his messy backpack. So far, it was only the three of them.  
More fillies and colts began to flood the schoolroom, and the volume of chatter rose exponentially. Starshot eventually walked all the way to the front of the classroom and cleared his throat. The students immediately quieted and sat awaiting their daily roll-call.  
"Good morning," Starshot greeted.  
"Good morning, Mr. Starshot!"  
"Now, for the morning roll-call. Raspberry?"  
"Here!"  
The day proceeded as normal with roll-call and lessons. They learned math, vocabulary, and read about the history of Equestria. They had a test over what they had gone over in science for the past two weeks, and then had break for lunch.  
"Roman! Come play soccer!" Toy called, bolting out of the classroom. Roman trotted after him.  
"Yes! Roman's playing with us!" A few other colts shouted.  
"Hey! _Roman!_ " Gilded Lily stood in the door of the schoolhouse. "I wanted to talk to you at break!"  
"Oh, leave him alone, Lily!" Toy snipped. "You never let Roman have any fun."  
"He's _my_ friend. He should do what _I_ want," Lily replied haughtily.  
"That's not much of a friendship," Jester, another colt, remarked. "More like you're just taking advantage of the fact that you two grew up as family friends."  
"I am not!" Lily screamed. " _Roman! Come on!_ "  
"Leave her, Roman. You haven't played with us in ages, and we asked first," Toy said. Roman hesitated, looking between the three fighting foals.  
"Lily, I can always talk with you after the game," Roman said. Lily glared at him.  
"But I have something to tell you now!"  
"You can tell him later!" Jester interjected.  
"No!" Lily snarled.  
"What's all the ruckus about?" Starshot appeared behind Lily, looking down at his students with a look they always hated to see - the _I-heard-everything-and-now-is-the-time-to-fess-up_ face. "We're hardly two minutes into break time."  
"Mr. Starshot, they aren't letting Roman come talk with me!" Lily stated. "I just want to tell him something!"  
"Oh?" Mr. Starshot looked down at Lily with a knowing look. The little filly, knowing full well that Starshot wasn't taken in, avoided eye contact. "Is it so important that Roman can't play a game of soccer before you tell him?"  
"No, sir..."  
"Roman?" Roman's ears pricked up when Starshot addressed him.  
"Yes, Mr. Starshot?"  
"Do you want to play soccer?"  
"...yes, Sir."  
"Lily. Toy. Jester." Mr. Starshot looked over the three addressed foals.  
"Yes, Mr. Starshot?"  
"If you fight again, I will have you all write a short essay about arguments and communication before any of you can go home. Understood?"  
"Yes, Mr. Starshot."  
"Thank you. Now, please have fun and enjoy the weather. It'll only be so beautiful before the cold from the mountains sets in."  
After a few awkward moments, the respective colts and filly walked their separate ways. Roman glanced back at Lily, a little worried for his friend, but Toy and Jester pushed him along.  
The soccer game soon had everyone forgetting about the fight that had happened just minutes ago. They played a three-vs-three with Jester, Toy, and Roman on one team, and Ginger Iyre, Parsley, and Autumn on the other. Roman enjoyed the game and was an expert defender - even if his attacking power was lacking.  
"That was amazing!" Toy crowed, bouncing around in a victory prance. Roman smiled.  
"You're as great as ever, Roman," Jester commented, laughing. "It's a shame that you can't play more because _O Lady Lily_ hogs you all the time."  
"Yeah! She's so snooty," Toy said. "Why do you hang out with her, Roman? Her attitude has chased everyone else away, and she treats you like a servant!"  
"She's my friend. We've been friends since we were young," Roman commented. He made no argument against Lily's attitude. He knew full well that she was not the nicest filly around town. Most foals tended to stay away from her once they learned how she was.  
"That's not a very good reason," Toy snorted. Roman shrugged.  
"Do you always like your siblings?" Roman asked. Toy and Jester shook their heads. "But you're still siblings, right?"  
"Well, yeah…" Toy mumbled.  
"But Lily isn't your family," Jester argued.  
"You don't need blood ties to be family, as my dad says," Roman commented. "Lily and I have always been close, and she's quieter at home. School tends to make her agitated."  
"Your patience is endless," Toy sighed.  
"But you do have, like, what – nine sisters?" Jester joked.  
"Seven – five older, two younger."  
"Roman!" The three colts turned their heads to see Lily standing off by herself, looking straight at them. Jester and Toy rolled their eyes.  
"I'll see you guys in class," Roman said. The colts replied half-heartedly as Roman trotted towards Lily.  
"Hello, Lily. What was it that you needed to talk about?"  
"Well… I…" Lily glared off into the distance. "I was wondering if you could explain the lesson to me again from math."  
"What part?" Roman asked. Lily continued to glare into the distance. Roman understood and nudged Lily. "Why don't we get our books and start from the beginning? We can even do some homework problems while we're at it."  
"That's fine," Lily said, walking strongly towards the schoolhouse. Roman followed behind, barely catching the soft 'thanks' that Lily mumbled back to him.  
The two friends spent their time going over the math lesson. Lily struggled with math, and although she would go to Starshot, she hated asking him too many times. The crush, probably. They were able to get through four or five of the homework problems before Starshot called them all back inside.  
The day's lessons went about without any more issues. They had a spelling bee that turned very competitive when the two Gingers – Iyre and Roman's older sister - went at it. Starshot eventually ran out of their studied vocabulary and had to call it a tie. Roman's sister was none too pleased, but Iyre seemed quite happy with himself.  
When they were dismissed, Starshot reminded them all of the test that they would have before Harvest Fest. They all groaned and moaned, but replied that they had heard and would be prepared. Harvest Fest was only a week and a half away.  
"Roman! We're heading home first!" Parsley, another of his older sisters, said, trotting off with their sister Ginger. Roman waved then went to find Lily where she was talking with Raspberry, a filly their age.  
"Hello, Roman," Raspberry greeted, flashing him a sweet smile. Roman dipped his head.  
"Hello, Raspberry." Roman looked at Lily. "Ready to go?"  
"Of course! I was waiting on you," Lily replied. "Bye, Raspberry! I'll bring by your fixed necklace tomorrow!"  
"Thank you, Lily. Bye, Roman." Raspberry gave him another smile before she trotted off where her friends were waiting.  
Roman and Lily walked through the backroads until they reached Hooftown's Main Street. The small place was bustling with the citizens hard at work. The McShires were tending to their flowers, the Berries to their dessert shop, and the Tinkers to… well, everything that they did.  
Lily and Roman took a side street to reach Lily's family shop – _Dazzle Me Jewelry._ They were instantly greeted by Emerald Flash, Lily's father, who was tidying up the shop. He placed the small crystal statue back on the counter by the register and turned to them.  
"Hello, hello! How was school?" He asked.  
"Insignificant," Lily replied.  
"It went well," Roman said.  
"Good to hear, Roman. And Lily – school isn't insignificant. It's very valuable. There are lots of colts and fillies out there that don't get an education."  
"They can have mine," Lily grumbled. Emerald raised an eyebrow.  
"Sweetie, were there math issues today?" Lily went red at the question.  
"Dad! No, there weren't!" Emerald hid his smile, but Roman caught the twitch at the corner of the stallion's mouth.  
"Okay, okay. Well, you two go on and do your homework. Are you staying for dinner, Roman?"  
"No, sir. Mom needs help with the twins tonight, so I'll be heading home after we finish," Roman replied.  
"Understandable. I may bring a light snack up in a bit, though," Emerald said. He smiled fondly at Roman. "You're such a dependable young colt."  
"Thank you, Mr. Jewel."  
Lily and Roman headed upstairs. Her younger siblings, Opal Dawn and Refined Carbon, were in the upper room. Opal was trying to teach Fin the small amount of math that she had been learning. The two foals were too busy to notice them, so they continued to Emerald Flash's office where they usually studied and did their work.  
Lily laid down on the floor and let out a huff. Roman put his bag down and began pulling out his books. Lily grimaced as he opened his math book and grabbed his unfinished homework.  
"Do we have to start with math?" Lily asked.  
"Since we already started on it," Roman said. "And you'll get done with it faster."  
Lily let out a heavy sigh and pulled her homework out as well. There were many groans and fits from Lily as they finished their math. Vocab was easier with them quizzing each other about spelling and meaning. They then did their daily journals and creative writing assignments – short bits about their day and adventures that they'd like to go on. Roman had very little to say about any adventures. At some point, Emerald brought them bunny apple-slices that they nibbled on as they finished writing.  
"Hey, Roman. What's your family doing for Harvest Fest?"  
"I think we're working on the McShires farm the first few days," Roman replied. "Then to the Berries'."  
"Hmmm… I think my family is helping in the vineyards that Fancy Trot owns," Lily sighed. "It's going to _so boring_."  
"They're having a bonfire on the last night for the entire town," Roman commented.  
"I don't think there's anything exciting about a giant fire," Lily stated. "It's nothing speci-"  
"Roman!" Emerald's voice echoed from below. "Bell is here!"  
"I'll be going, then," Roman said, packing up his stuff. "Meet you by the fountain tomorrow."  
"Don't be late this time!"  
Roman nodded and trotted down the stairs. His oldest sister, Belladonna, was waiting for him. She smiled and nuzzled his nose.  
"How was school?"  
"It was good. Finished all of my homework too, so I can help with Lil and Lav."  
"I'm sure they'll adore the attention. Let's go home. Mom has dinner waiting."  
The siblings moved quickly through the town and across the river to their home at the base of the mountains. The lights were on as they approached, and the noise inside could be heard from meters away.  
They opened the door, and Rosemary Herbal, their mother, burst into the hallway with frizzed mane and apron on. A wide grin was on her face as she kissed both of her children on the cheek and gave them a welcome-home hug. She stepped back.  
"Just in time! Dinner is on the table, and Parsley and Ginger are about to eat it all if your father doesn't!" She remarked with a laugh. "Go wash your hooves. I'll make sure there is food left!"  
"Yes, Ma'am," Roman and Bell replied. Their mom whipped back into the kitchen, where a crash was heard.  
"Parsley! Eat with manners! T – will you sit up straight? Willow – put that game system away. You _know_ what I said about it being at the table."  
With their mother going full throttle, Roman and Bell quickly washed up and came to eat dinner. Altogether, their large family totaled at ten around the table. Their father, Thyme Herbal, sat at the head with their mother, Rosemary, beside him. Next was the oldest, Belladonna, followed by the next eldest, Sage. Beside her sat the third oldest, Willow. Across from the three of them sat Ginger and Parsley with Roman on the end. The twins, Lilac and Lavender, were in highchairs near Bell and Rosemary.  
It was a loud family, and dinner time was definitely a demonstration of that, but everyone was happy. Roman quietly listened in content about Ginger's boasting at keeping pace with Ginger Iyre, Parsley talked about the soccer game at lunch, and Willow eagerly spoke about a new game she had bought with Sage. Bell helped with Lilac and Lavender while their parents replied to all of their children.  
After dinner, Roman entertained Lilac and Lavender while his mother cleaned up and read a book to the family while they sat in the family room. The one-year-old fillies giggled and played happily, rolling and stumbling around. It was a relaxing night.  
Parsley came to play with the twins and sat by Roman. They were two and a half years apart, and if Roman hadn't been smaller, they could have been twins themselves. They were usually mistaken as such. His sister nudged him, and Roman looked up from making faces at Lilac.  
"Hey, isn't Mr. Starshot going to talk about Cutie Marks the next few days up to Harvest Fest?"  
"That's what he said," Roman replied. Outside of the twins, the only ones of their household to not have their Cutie Marks were Ginger, Parsley, and himself.  
"I can't wait to get my Cutie Mark. I wonder if it'll look like Mom or Dad's since I'm so similar to them," Parsley commented.  
"Possible, though every Cutie Mark is unique to the pony," Roman said.  
"I hope I'm like Mom and Dad! I want to take over the shop – be an herbalist just like Mom. Maybe even go to Fillydelphia or Manehatten to study."  
"You'd be good at that, I think. You've always been good with plants and remedies." Roman went back to making faces at his little sisters.  
"What about you, Roman?"  
"What?"  
"What do you want to do?" Roman paused and looked at Parsley. He just gave her a blank look.  
"I suppose… I'll be helping with the shop."  
"Really?" Parsley tickled Lavender's stomach. "I mean, you're a good worker at the shop… but isn't there something else you want to do? Something that boils your blood and gets your heart racing?"  
"…helping in the shop." Parsley heaved a heavy sigh.  
"Isn't there anything you like?" Roman opened his mouth. "Not working in the shop!"  
"Working in the garden?" Roman suggested. Parsley groaned and stood up.  
"I don't think I've ever seen you excited about anything – much less garden work," Parsley said. "It's no fun if you aren't wanting to do something. You'll be a blank flank forever if you don't have something."  
" _Parsley!_ Did I just hear those words that I hate?" Their mother asked from across the room.  
"But _Moooom_ – it's true! Roman doesn't have anything that he likes!" Parsley said.  
"He's only eight, Parsley. I highly doubt that you had any idea what you wanted," their mother retorted.  
"But I had likes and dislikes!"  
"Parsley Herbal! Apologize." Parsley pouted and looked at Roman.  
"Sorry… not like you even care…"  
"What was that, Parsley?"  
"Nothing, Ma'am…"  
"Mhmm…" Rosemary turned to Roman, who had simply gone back to playing with the twins. "There's no reason to panic, Roman. You have plenty of time to figure out what you'd like to be."  
"Yes, Ma'am," Roman replied. "I know."  
"You're such a good son," Rosemary said, kissing his forehead. "I'll take the twins now. You go and get ready for bed. You too, Parsley."  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
Roman helped clean up the twins' toys before wandering upstairs to prepare for bed. He was the only member of his family with his own room – a small one, but his own. He cleaned up and brushed his teeth then headed towards his room. He laid in his bed beside the single window, staring up at the darkened sky as everyone said their good-nights throughout the house.  
He puzzled over what Parsley had said, and as he began to drift into sleep, a part of him did wonder – not in worry or panic, but mere thoughtful wanderings…

 _What do I want to do?_

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A second chapter! Lo and behold! Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but here it is. Introducing a lot of the characters here. Roman's family is about half the town, it seems. The Tinkers take that title, though. The Tinker family practically started the town themselves.

Anyways! I hope everyone enjoys. We'll continue rolling out chapters as we can. Signing off! - Al'Hope & Bethy

Note: Follow the URL to see the illustration! And don't forget to remove the asterisks.


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